Stephen F. Austin State University

Dr. Richard Berry

Dr. Richard Berry was appointed Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs in July 2007. Previously he served as Associate Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. An SFA graduate with Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts degree, Berry received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in voice performance from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. After teaching at Wayland University, the University of Kansas, the University of Denver, and the University of Texas-San Antonio, he joined SFA in 1987 as an assistant professor of music and served as coordinator of undergraduate studies in music for 10 years. He was promoted to professor of music in 1997 and was named dean of the College of Fine Arts in 1999, the position he held until his appointment as Associate Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs in 2006.

At SFA Dr. Berry has taught voice and voice pedagogy, vocal literature, and diction for singers and he directed the SFA Opera Theatre for 10 years. His many solo performances include appearances with the Kansas City Chamber Players, Orchestra of Santa Fe, Denver Chamber Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, San Antonio Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Chorale, Longview Opera Company, Victoria Symphony Orchestra, Laredo Symphony Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with many noted conductors, including Roger Cantrell, Jurgen de Lemos, Margaret Hillis, and Robert Shaw. Recent performances include the tenor solos in Verdi's Requiem. Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, and Haydn's "Lord Nelson" Mass.

Dr. Berry was a member of the SFASU project team of the American Council on Education - Kellogg Foundation Project on Leadership and Institutional Transformation. He is past Chair of the University Faculty Senate and past Chair of the Fine Arts Council. Currently he is serving as a member of the board of directors of the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau.